Rotatable combustion chamber



Oct- 7, 195 R. H. GODDARD ROTATABLE COMBUSTION CHAMBER Filed July 26, 1946 Patented Oct. 7, 1952 ROTATABLE ooMBUs'rroN cnAiuBEit Robert H. Goddard, deceased, latent Annapolis, Md., by Esther 1C. Goddard,i'executriik, Pax

ton, Mass; assignor of one-half to'The-Daniel' and Florence Guggenheim Foundation, New

York, N. Y., a corporation of NewYork T Application .iulyzs, 194.6, Serial m tastas s j l'i 1 This invention relates to a combustion chamber of the type having an open conical discharge nozzle and adapted for use in the aerial propulsion of rockets and rocket craft.

The invention relates more particularly to combustion chambers which are rotated when in operation, it being the general object of the invention to provide improved means for effecting such rotation. i

To the accomplishment of this-general object, a plurality of small auxiliary nozzles are mounted on the combustion chamber and discharge a portion of the combustion gases tangentially of the chamber. Improved means is also provided for feeding combustion liquids to the chamber and for cooling the feeding means, the auxiliary nozzles and adjacent portions of the combustion chamber walls.

The invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Preferred forms of the invention are shown in the drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing a combustion chamber with the improved construction embodied therein;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section of certain parts shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a partial transverse sectional end view, taken along the line 33 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4'is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing a modified construction;

Figs. 5 and 6 are fragmentarydetail sectional elevations, taken along the lines 5-5 and GB in Fig. 4 respectively;

Fig. '7 is a side elevation, partly in section, and showing a further modification;

Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view, taken along the line 8-8 in Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, also taken along the line 88 in Fig. 7;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary side elevation showing a modification of Fig. 7; and

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 7 but showing a further modification thereof.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a rotatable combustion chamber C is shown, mounted in bearings and provided with a nozzle N at the discharge end and with an ignition tube 22 at the opposite end. The tube 22 engages a thrust bearing 23 which prevents displacement of the chamber C to the left in Fig. 1.

The end wall 25 of the chamber C is enclosed by an inner jacket casing 25 and an outer jacket pressure.

chamber C through ports '41.

5 Claims. (elect-+3516); 1

casing 21. Feedfopenings 30 (Fig/ 2) connect the inner jacket space 3! with the combustion chamber, and similar feed openings -32 connect the outer jacket space 3,3 with the chamber.

, A liquid oxidizer, such as liquid-oxygen, is fed to the inner jacketspace 3! through a feed nozzle 35 '(Fig'. 'l) and a suitable liquid fuel such as-gasOIine-is fed to the 'outer jacket space 33 through a feed nozzle 36, both liquids being under The je'ts of gasolineand liduidoxygen intersect adjacent an annular recess 38 (Fig. 1) in the endwall 25 of the combustion chamber and are effectively intermingled 'at such intersection,

l it' 'the discharge enii'of 'the cylindrical body portion of the chamber C," a plurality of small auxiliary nozzles 40 are tangentially mounted as shown in Fig. Sand communicate at their small or entrance ends' with the combustion As combustion gases are 'produced'in the-chamber C,'a portion of the gases is discharged through the auxiliary nozzles 40 in substantially tangential directions,

and the combustion chamberis thereby rapidly rotated as indicated by-the I arrows a in Figs. 1 a aa I The'conical endwall M at the discharge end of the combustion-chamber C may be enclosed by a jacket 45 '(Figsll to which'a cooling-liquid, as water, is supplied through a feed nozzle 46.

Thisliquiid, after passing through the jacket space, isdischarged intofthe combustion chamber through ports or openings ll adjacent the nozzles' lll. iv

A portion'of this "cooling" liquid will be thrown outward by centrifugalforceagainst the conical end wall 44 with a cooling effect on the end wall and also on the main discharge nozzle N.

In Figs. 4, 5 and 6, a modified construction is shown in which the auxiliary nozzles 50 project outward. through the jacket space 5| enclosed by the jacket 52. The water, after cooling the nozzles 50, passes into the combustion chamber through port openings 54 (Fig. 5) in the combustion chamber wall 55. Cooling liquid is supplied to the jacket space 5| through a feed nozzle 56 (Fig. 4).

As the port openings 54 are to the left of the nozzles 50, as viewed in Fig. 4, a somewhat larger proportion of steam or vaporized cooling liquid will enter the auxiliary nozzles than with the construction shown in Fig. 1.

In the modified construction shown in Figs. 7., 8 and 9, tangentially disposed port openings 60 3 (Fig. 9) are provided in the cylindrical wall 61 of the combustion chamber C (Fig. 7), and these port openings 60 communicate with volute passages 62 enclosed by volute casings 63 and communicating with discharge nozzles 64, all preferably provided in balanced pairs.

As the combustion gases escaping through the p rt openings 60 travel along the volute passages 62 and are discharged through the nozzles 64, they produce rotation of the combustion chamber as indicated by the arrow b in Fig. 8.

The conical discharge and of the combustion chamber C (Fig. 7) is preferably provided with a jacket 66, feed nozzle 61 and spray. openings 68, all as previously described in "connection with the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Instead of the substantially semi-circular cross section of the volute passages .62: shown in Fig. 7, these passages may desirably have the rectangularcrosssection. indicated at .111 in Fig. 10, the constructionbeing. otherwise. as. in Figs. 7 to 9.

In Fig. 11, the construction issimilar to. that shown in Fig. 7, exceptthatthe jacket. casing 80 is extended to enclose the volute casing 8|, and the discharge ports .82 for the cooling liquid are atthe left of the volute casing 8|, so that more of the vaporized cooling liquid will be drawn into the volute passages. The liquid is supplied through a nozzle 84 andthe combustion gases are dischargedthrough nozzles. 85. The construction has similar advantages in this respect with the construction shown in Fig. 4.

Having described several forms of the. invention,-it will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to. thedetails herein disclosed, otherwise than as set-forth in the claims, but what is claimed is:

1. A rotatable combustion chamber'comprising a rotatably mounted body, a. discharge nozzle at the rear end thereof, a pluralityof auxiliary nozzles mounted about the periphery of said body near the rear end of said chamber and discharging a portion of the combustion gases substantially tangentially to effect rotation of said chamber and nozzle, a jacket for the rear end of said combustion chamber, and means to supply a-cooling liquidthereto, and said combustion chamber.; having port openings in the rear-.end portion, thereof. connecting the jacket space to the combustion chamber and discharging said cooling liquid into said chamber adjacent the. intake of said auxiliary nozzles, whereby the rear portion of said chamber is cooled and vapor-isvprovided for cooling said auxiliary nozzles.

injected cooling liquid is increased.

.3. The: combination in a rotatable combustion chamber as set forth in claim 1, in which the port openings discharge angularly into said chamber in the direction of rotation of said chamber, whereby the rate of rotation of the in-- ,.jected. cooling liquid is increased, and in which .thejacket alsoencloses and cools the intake portions of said auxiliary nozzles.

. 4. A rotatable combustion chamber comprising a rotatably mounted body, a volute encircling .the rear portion of said combustion chamher, said chamber havin port openings into said volute and said volute terminating in a tangentially disposed auxiliary nozzle operative to rotate saidchamber, and a cooling jacket adjacent. said volute having port openings into REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the is of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 37,940 Plant Mar. 17, 1863 2,395,114 Goddard Feb. 19, 1946 2,398,927 Farr Apr. 23, 1946 2,407,852 Smith Sept. 1'7, 1946 2,412,266 Hoagland Dec. 10, 1946 OTHER REFERENCES Astronautics. Journal of American Rocket Society, No. 33, March 1936, page 8, Fig. VII.

Mechanical Engineering, No. 6, vol. 69, June 1947. page 461, Fig. 8. 

